Carl Bernstein supports draft / national service

[Newsjock]

Source: Big Think

Legendary Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein says that he's not as concerned about the state of investigative journalism as some of his contemporaries are—in fact, he thinks that newspapers like the New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal are doing excellent work uncovering secrets in the halls of power. Rather, he's more concerned about today's readers, because he thinks there is much less reading of serious journalism going on today.

... Finally, Bernstein suggests that the United States needs to reinstate the draft. "If there was a draft, I don’t think for a minute we would have had this horrible war in Iraq," says Bernstein. "I don’t think members of Congress would have voted to send their own children into that theater, or into Afghanistan, not a chance. That the end of the draft has permitted a cowardly politics, a huge consequence to who we are as a people I think there’s a need in this country for national service for all young people, for a year or two, whether it be in the military, whether it be building roads, whether it be in public health, whether it be in helping to teach children. But the idea that there is no unifying activity for young people such as could be provided for national service is a terrible shortcoming in our culture."

Read more: http://bigthink.com/ideas/21766

[provis99]

1. we had a draft in Vietnam. Did that stop the war?

The rich simply dodged the draft by enlisting in National Guard units like the "Champagne Squadron" in Texas full of right wing sons of politicians.

[End Of The Road]

3. The anti-war movement was pretty successful

in constraining the war, and ultimately ending it. And the anti-war movement owed alot of its existence to the draft. Of course, the movement was covered nightly by a more honest MSM than we have now -- a major factor.

At the very least, the Vietnam-era draft engendered some great music.

[bigtree]

2. he's onto something

. . . if they truly offer a CHOICE outside of the military for folks, instead of some mandatory mandate to war.